Rendering PDF forms

To understand the difference between static and dynamic PDF forms, it is important to understand what the term render means. Rendering a form is the process of creating the precise final layout and formatting from the form design. The form may or may not be merged with data, depending on the form design and data. Rendering can be done by LiveCycle on the server or by Adobe Reader on the client. A PDF form must be rendered before it can be displayed to the end user or printed. Therefore, the rendering is the final image.

Characteristics of static PDF forms

Form designs saved as static PDF forms render once on the server and are displayed on the client in the Acrobat or Adobe Reader target version. They are not rerendered in response to user interaction. The form may have been designed with a flowable layout; however, when the static PDF form is created, its layout is fixed and the resultant PDF form will not rerender on the client.

File size
In general, forms saved as static PDF forms render to larger file sizes than the equivalent files saved as dynamic PDF forms.

Rendering location
Static PDF forms render once and are displayed on the client in Acrobat or Adobe Reader. They are not rerendered in response to user interaction. Because rendering is performed on the server, only small changes to the final output are possible on the client. For example, the value area may show a different color after the user clicks a button or exits a field.

Display speed
In general, static PDF forms require more time to render on the server than dynamic PDF forms but are displayed faster in the client software on the end-user’s computer. Static PDF forms require more time on the server because the server performs the page layout operations, data merging, and final rendering. In the case of dynamic PDF forms, the server performs only data merging. The client software on the end-user’s computer performs the page layout operations and final rendering. As a result, the rendering time for dynamic PDF forms relies on the processing power of the end-user’s computer, especially when the PDF file size is large.

Characteristics of dynamic PDF forms

Forms saved as dynamic PDF forms render on the client in Acrobat or Adobe Reader and, depending on the end-user interactions, can rerender on the client several times. Changes to the appearance of objects is possible in Acrobat or Adobe Reader because Acrobat or Adobe Reader have enough information to rerender the final output. For example, objects can change color, pagination can change, and objects can appear or disappear. If the end user clicks a button that adds a new row to a table, the form is rerendered in Acrobat or Adobe Reader. Dynamic PDF forms were first introduced in Adobe Reader, Acrobat Professional and Acrobat Standard 7.0.

File size
In general, forms saved as dynamic forms render to smaller file sizes than the equivalent files saved as static PDF forms.

Rendering location
Form designs saved as dynamic PDF forms render on the client in Acrobat or Adobe Reader. Because rendering is performed on the client, the form can rerender several times based on end-user interactions.

Display speed
In the case of dynamic PDF forms, the server performs only data merging. The client software on the end-user’s computer performs the page layout operations and final rendering. As a result, the rendering time for dynamic PDF forms relies on the processing power of the end-user’s computer, especially when the PDF file size is large.

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